DEWBOT VII Arm
From DEW Robotics
DEWBOT VII's arm was developed to meet the following key strategic objectives:
- Elevate possessed Logo Pieces to score at all levels - esp. top - NEED
- Quickly and reliably score Logo Pieces on Scoring Grid - NEED
- Disengage cleanly from Logo Piece & Tower after scoring - NEED
- Assure Logo Piece orientation to facilitate scoring - NEED
- Align Logo Piece with target - z (height) - NEED
- Securely possess inflated Logo Pieces & Ubertubes - NEED
- Pick inflated Logo Pieces off field - NEED
- Load inflated Logo Pieces at Feeder Station - NEED
- Close claw when Logo Piece is at correct penetration - WANT
- Ubertube manually loadable with robot powered-down - NEED
And a few game constraints
- Arm must be manually movable with robot powered down - NEED
- Arm must be within starting envelope at beginning of match - NEED
- In play, arm may not break the 84" cylinder limits - NEED
Not to mention some engineering considerations
- Robot center of mass should remain low & centered for stability
- Arm must be robust & reliable
- Easy to use
Material Constraints
The team's decision to build a Pivot Drive-Train limited the motors available for the arm & Minibot deployment. These were:
- (1) FischerPrice Motor; and
- (4) Denso window motors.
Pneumatics were also available for the arm & Minibot Deployment.